Music

March 15, 2005

It’s slim pickings this week thanks to SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST and the WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE, both taking place back-to-back and sucking all of the music in the world into their vortices. Still, there’s a few nibbles. One of my favorite drum’n’bass DJs—producers Bad Company is headlining at one of the genre’s only weeklies in the city, DIRECT DRIVE. The d’n’b crew responsible for injecting a dark, raw sound into the robotic world of tech step is still alive, kicking and as fierce as ever. They play with 4 Real, Crisis, DJ Force, and Sheik-Mon. Saturday @ 10, Rothko, 116 Suffolk, no phone

Lyle Derek and his trashtastic crew are bringing back CHARM SCHOOL UNIVERSITY, featuring Boy George’s first ever New York DJ residency. Boy plays more progressive techno than the gay boys of the East Village are used to, but Miss Guy and Lily of the Valley can keep them sated with their sleazy brand of rock. Also appearing: Amanda Lepore and Cazwell, with Kenny Kenny hosting. Why, New York almost seems cool again (too bad the party’s at Marquee). Monday @ 10, Marquee, 289 Tenth Ave, 646-473-0202

Yeah, we wrote about the A Guy Called Gerald show earlier this month when he was supposed to come. He canceled and rescheduled, so we’ll restate that “Manchester’s Gerald Simpson is one of the most influential producers of this electronic-music stuff.” And that you should pay attention when the man behind techno classics like “Pacific State” (when he was part of 808 State) and “Voodoo Ray” releases something new, in this case, another piece of gorgeous eclecticism, To All Things What They Need. Saturday @ 10, 69 W 14th, no phone